Rising Syphilis Rates During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Overview

Journal Sex Transm Dis

Specialty Infectious Diseases

Date 2021 Mar 30

PMID 33783406

Citations 17

Authors

Kimberly A Stanford

Ellen Almirol

John Schneider

Aniruddha Hazra

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on syphilis rates is unknown. A retrospective chart review was performed of all patients screened for syphilis through universal screening in a large, urban emergency department from June 2019 to June 2020. During the early pandemic (April through June 2020), screening rates remained similar, but the rate of presumed active infection increased from 1.2% to 1.8% (prevalence ratio, 1.54; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-2.00; P < 0.01), with significant increases among adolescents and women. Only 19.2% of patients with presumed active infection presented for STI-related complaints. Universal screening represents a valuable tool for achieving syphilis control within high-prevalence communities.

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